Category: sewing

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Winter Projects

Only the second week of February but it feels like it has been a long winter. It certainly has been a cold one! I’m so glad to see the days getting longer; spring will come.

I seem to be better at starting projects than finishing them lately:

  • I’ve started another Owl phone cosy, hoping to make a tutorial. I really have a hard time writing down what I’m doing.
  • My mother’s room at the Long Term Care Home is not big enough for us to personalize it with any of her furniture. She has a crocheted afghan on her bed that I made many years ago, but her space still looks institutional. I hit upon an idea: When Grandma Roth died (1981) Mama gave me some quilt patches that she (Grandma) had pieced. Mom and Grandma had given me a single bed quilt they had made after I got married; I used it ‘to death.’ These patches are in the same pattern. There are 23 of them, not quite enough for a single bed. The piecing is certainly not professional, but some of the fabrics I recognize and that is kind of cool.patchesAt any rate, I hope to finish piecing this quilt for my mother’s bed. The women of First Mennonite Church gave me some advice on how to do it, and the women of Bloomingdale Mennonite Church have offered to quilt it for me. Thank you all!
  • Trina recently sent me a link she thought I’d be interested in. I was! http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/quilt-inspired-square-and-pillow Tara Murray of Alaska is a very talented designer – check out her website http://mamachee.com/ I think this quilt-inspired pillow is a fantastic way to use up bits of coloured yarn! I have 7 squares made:squares
  • And speaking of quilts – one more project that I started many years ago, and I really need to finish, is my daughter’s wall-hanging. When Trina first went to school for fashion design I took pieces of fabric from clothing I or she had made plus pictures of her wearing those articles and pieced a small quilt:

Trina's quilted wall-hanging(click on the picture for a larger version)

I really need to get my act together and finish these items while I still want to stay cosy and warm inside!

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Boots for Billie

My little dog was not made for cold weather. And it’s been COLD this winter. Billie has a hard time going outside even to answer nature’s call, much less to take a walk. We both miss the walks. Hopefully we will return to more “normal” temperatures soon.

In the meantime, I tried to make some boots for my girl’s little feet. I’d bought some at the dollar store, but I couldn’t make them tight enough to stay on. There were patterns online of the same design, but that wasn’t what I wanted. Once again, I created my own.

2657I first made an outline of her paw; adding a seam allowance gave me the sole of her boot. I cut soles out of thick black fleece and “shelf liner” to give her traction on the hardwood floors (something she didn’t have with the dollar store boots). For the upper I used a small saucer to make a circle, then cut a smaller circle in one end, then removed about a third of the bottom. These I also cut from black fleece. I used ribbing for the leg part of the boot.

2658I folded the upper in half and seamed it. Then I seamed the ribbing along the length, folded it in half and sewed it to the smaller opening in the upper. I marked both pieces in quarters to have them sewn evenly together.2660

 

 

I then used the same technique to put the soles on. I sewed them right sides together so the seams would be inside.

2664

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I had all four made I tried them on the dog. She was not impressed! She wouldn’t leave them on her feet. The dollar store boots had Velcro strips to tighten them — I  carefully removed them and hand-sewed them to the new boots. Now she couldn’t kick them off so easily!

10601Not a happy camper.

She did perk up when I mentioned the T-word.

B-dogBillie doesn’t really like these boots (and I’m not sure they are a good design; I may have to try again) but we have walked further when she’s wearing them. We even had a short walk yesterday when it was -11ºC (-15º with the windchill) (12º/5ºF).

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Lalaloopsie

Mina loves Lalaloopsie dolls. She already has two  “little sisters” and will be getting another “big sister” and a “big brother” for her birthday on Saturday.

On a trip to Daison I picked up some crochet thread and cotton. I made a dress for each of Mina’s “buddies”:

Mina's buddies
Mina’s buddies in their new crocheted dresses.

Trina is making her new dolls clothes – much more sophisticated that what I would make. Mina tried so hard to make the new pajamas fit on her buddy. I finally helped by putting some tiny hair elastics on her arms and legs so they would stay on. Mina particularly like the “party dress.” I think the fact that it is a long dress is what made it a party dress. When the new clothes disappeared overnight the poor girl was heartbroken. So I decided to make her ‘little sisters’ new party dresses. I used scraps from Trina’s makings to hand sew the first one. I decided that, for me, crocheting was much easier.

party dresses
Mina’s buddies get party dresses

I hope Mina has as much fun playing as I had making!

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The baby gets clothes

Made some clothes for Mina’s new baby:

Onesy
Sundress
Watermelon sweater

I need to think about footwear next.

Her wig has arrived in Campbell. We will need to figure out how to attach it securely, yet have it removable for laundering.

wig
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